"Come to me, all of you who are frustrated and have had a bellyful, and I will give you zest." (Matthew 28:11, The Cotton Patch Version of Matthew and John by Clarence Jordan)

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Better Georgia to take on Conservatives

Editor's Note: The author of this post, Bryan Long, is Executive Director of Better Georgia.

I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. By some measures it’s been months. By
other measures, years.

Today Georgia begins a journey toward a better, more progressive state. It’s the day
progressives have decided we’re sick of letting the debate in Georgia be
between the right and the far right.

It’s the
day we launched Better Georgia, a new statewide initiative to bring
together people who are disappointed with the direction Gov. Nathan Deal and
the leaders of our General Assembly are taking the state

There are
too many of us who believe Georgia deserves better to remain silent.

Better Georgiaseeks to focus lawmakers on schools and jobs
instead of fringe issues that have made our state unattractive to business
investment and job growth.

Anyone
who has lived in Georgia for more than a decade can remember when our state was
the shining Capital of the New South. We remember when Georgia led the nation
as an example of smart business, outpacing our Southern peers with quality job
growth and rivaling northern states with our education system. Today we lead
the nation in bank failures.

Meanwhile,
businesses refuse to open in Georgia because our elected officials can’t seem
to focus on building an environment that attracts the best jobs. This would
include a community that celebrates diversity, provides a quality education and
maintains a transportation system that works.

Georgia
once took pride in rising above issues that held back much of the South. Today,
Gov. Deal and many of our lawmakers are chasing every bad idea Conservatives
have dreamed up -- from Alabama’s anti-immigrants law to Mississippi’s
personhood amendment.

Earlier
this year, Georgia passed a law that will cost the average family farmer $1.2
million in lost revenue annually, for a total up to $1 billion in losses statewide.

A section
of this anti-immigrants law is similar to one passed in Alabama that requires
police to check the immigration status of suspects they believe are illegally
in the country.

Alabama’s
law recently led to the arrest of a German manager with Mercedes-Benz who was
visiting for business. Both states have watched crops rot in the fields and suffered
economic losses at the hands of our lawmakers.

And now
two Georgia lawmakers – one Republican, one Democrat -- have proposed separate
bills that would bring the zygote “personhood” law to Georgia, putting the
state’s research institutions in jeopardy. A similar referendum failed with
Mississippi voters this summer.

Georgia’s
economy is too fragile to be distracted for a minute with these issues. We can’t
afford these laws that are proven to be bad for jobs and bad for our economic
recovery.

Better
Georgia is dedicated to fighting the nonsense that somehow passes for “common
sense” under the Gold Dome these days. We’re dedicated to organizing Georgians
who aren’t ready to give up on our state.

Take Action Now.

So, what
can you do to help? If you live in Georgia, please join the movement.

The first
step is to take a two-question poll that will help focus attention on real
issues that matter to real Georgians: BetterGeorgia.com/Poll

Then, you
can also join the discussion at Facebook.com/BetterGeorgia. The most
important action you can take right now is to tell your friends, families and
coworkers that we’re not giving up on Georgia. We are prepared to stand
together and rebuild the Empire State of the South.